In a move aimed at ensuring the safety of school-going children and preventing fatal road mishaps, the District Magistrate-cum-Deputy Commissioner of Moga, Sagar Setia, has imposed a strict ban on the movement of heavy tipper trucks on link roads housing educational institutions during peak school hours.
Exercising the powers vested under Section 163 of the BNSS, 2023, the District Magistrate announced that heavy tipper trucks will not be allowed to ply on these designated link roads from 6 AM to 9 AM when schools open and from 1 PM to 3 PM during schools closure.
According to the official order, these restrictive measures have been enforced with immediate effect and will remain in place until July 26.
DM Sagar Setia stated that the directive was issued following specific guidelines received from the Chairman of the Punjab State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. The primary objective is to safeguard young students from potential road hazards and untoward accidents involving heavy commercial vehicles during their daily commute.
The reason for this targeted ban is the structural nature of rural link roads in Punjab. Unlike national highways, these link roads are narrow, often lack proper shoulders or pavements, and are heavily frequented by students traveling on bicycles, school vans, or on foot. When massive, fast-moving tipper trucks—typically loaded with sand, gravel, or construction material—occupy these narrow corridors simultaneously with school traffic, the margin for error drops to zero, making severe accidents highly likely, said Setia.